RENTON, Wash. (DDN) – The morning commute was disrupted by a series of crashes on Interstate 405 in both directions due to ice conditions.
At 4:15 a.m., all northbound Interstate 405 lanes were closed at State Route 169/Maple Valley Highway due to a crash in Renton. Approximately five hours later, all mainline lanes were open.
According to Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson, southbound I-405 in Bellevue was closed over I-90 at about 7:30 a.m. due to icy conditions. Johnson stated that the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) was receiving the product, most likely sand or deicer so that the segment of the highway could be opened.
There were many crashes, and WSDOT officials were on the scene. All lanes had reopened at 8:45 a.m.
There were more crashes on the freeway in other locations.
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A WSDOT live traffic map showed northbound I-405 traffic backed up from Tukwila to Bellevue just before 7:30 a.m. The southbound lanes also saw major delays. About an hour later, the delays had subsided, but northbound traffic remained stop-and-go between Tukwila and Renton.
Earlier, there were other crashes on both sides of I-405.
Southbound, there was one on West Valley Highway in Tukwila and another south of NE 44th St in Renton. In addition to the incident at SR 169, two more crashes occurred in the northbound lanes, one in Bellevue near the mall and the other in Newcastle.
There were other crashes on eastbound State Route 520 in Redmond on the onramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway, as well as one on westbound State Route 522 between Monroe and Maltby.
At 6:45 a.m., KOMO News Traffic Anchor Tyrah Majors reported seven crashes.
A rolled-over semi-truck and an automobile were involved in the incident, which closed northbound I-405 at SR 169 for many hours. Part of the truck then caught fire. There were only minor injuries.
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A traffic camera captured video of smoke pouring into the air. According to a KOMO News photographer, the water used to put out the fire froze on the highway.
Meanwhile, government organizations have issued warnings about Tuesday’s hazardous driving conditions.
“Freeways in our area are experiencing crashes due to below-freezing temperatures and winter driving conditions. Please drive slowly and carefully if you’re on the road,” the city of Bellevue wrote on X.
Of course, I-405 wasn’t the only freeway experiencing fender-bender traffic.
Trooper Rick Johnson posted a photo of a rollover crash on I-90 between Preston and North Bend. There was only one car involved. Fortunately, nobody was wounded.
According to WSP, troopers responded with 62 crashes in King County on Tuesday morning alone.
Reference: Crashes amid icy conditions close I-405, jam traffic from Tukwila to Bellevue
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